Top of the World
by Chelsea Jay
Summary: /HIATUS/ Who would have thought nine little words could change everything? Dimitri's love faded. Lissa's seething with anger. Who will stand up for Rose? One night of passion leads to heartbreak. Rose gets reassigned and leaves Court. Now, Rose returns to Court. Engagements are broken, shocking friendships are discovered, and secrets are revealed. Who will end up on top? /HIATUS/
1. Summary

**Summary:**

"I've given up on you… Love fades. Mine has." Who would have thought nine little words could change everything? Not Rose Hathaway. With Dimitri's love fading and Lissa seething with anger, who will stand up for Rose? When one night of passion leads to heartbreak, Rose calls the only person she can depend on, Abe Mazur, her father. One call to the Queen and Rose is reassigned and leaves Court. One month later Rose finds out she's pregnant and two months later she returns to Court. Engagements are broken, shocking friendships are discovered, and secrets are revealed. Who will end up on top in Rose's world?

**(Rated T for adult language. May contain M scenes.)**

Note: _This story will be updated weekly unless otherwise noted._

* * *

******A/N: To the Guest who left me this wonderful review:  
**

"_let me guess another Lisa sleeps with Dimitri story, Rose sees it through the bond and is heart broken._

_ No thanks...those type of stories have been done to death and as you haven't stated what charcters are pairing up in your story..._

_ I am D/R fan, thats all i read, i am not interested in reading anything else._"**  
**

**If you'd decided to read the next chapter you would have learned that I know what's been played to death and that I'm trying to go in a different direction. Another thing, the reason I'm keeping this pairing secret, for now, is because I'd like people to read my story for the quality not the pairing. Anybody can write a story, but it could be shitty as hell, I'd like my work to be of higher standard. Also, please don't assume things because when you do, you make an ass out of you and me. I can guarantee to all my readers that Lissa and Dimitri will not be sleeping together, I repeat, they WILL NOT be sleeping together. Any lose ends, including the pairing, in this story will be covered in later chapters. Just so you all know, YES, Rose is pregnant in this story but she will remain the 'badass' she has always been and NO, this story will not revolve around her pregnancy (we all know how pregnancies work and if you don't then I suggest you pay attention in Health class or google it). There is an actual plot, action and drama are a MUST in my stories.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I, Chelsea Castile, do not own any of the characters in this story. Richelle Mead does. However, I do own the plot.**

_"I've given up on you," he said back, voice also soft. "Love fades. Mine has."_

_I stared at him in disbelief. All this time, he'd never phrased it like that. His protests had always been about some greater good, about the remorse he felt over being a monster or how it had scarred him from love. I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has._

_I backed up; the sting of those words hitting me as hard as if he'd slapped me. Something shifted in his features, like maybe he knew how much he'd hurt me. I didn't stick around to see. Instead, I pushed my way out of the aisle and ran out the doors in the back, afraid that if I stayed any longer, everyone in the church would see me cry._

**(A/N: Richelle Mead owns the text above. Excerpt is from Spirit Bound.)**

As I ran I saw Lissa and Christian heading towards the church, so I slowed down and wiped my tears. As I approached them I could feel worry through the bond. Damn it, Lissa had noticed I was crying.

"Rose," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing Liss," I replied.

"Don't lie to me Rose, tell me what's wrong," she begged.

"NOTHING!" I said a little too harshly. She flinched at my words and Christian scowled at me.

"Sorry Liss, just having a rough day." I said softly, then added jokingly, "Call off your little watch dog please, next thing I know he'll be burning holes in my head."

"Glad to see you know what I'm capable of," he returned.

"Yeah right, Sparky." I said forcing a laugh. No one seemed to notice the fakeness of my actions and for that I was grateful.

"Well, what can I do for you, Lissa?" I asked with a forced smile.

"Nothing, I'm just waiting for church to be over. I need to check on Dimitri," she replied. My smile faltered a little then I pulled my mask into place.

"I'm sure he'd be glad to see you," I said with a hint of sadness in my voice. I could feel the tears building in my ears all over again. I noticed Christian studying me.

"You sure you're okay Hathaway?" he asked.

"Yeah, what makes you think I'm not?" I inquired.

"I don't know, it just looks like you're about to cry," he answered.

"Nope, no problems at all," I stated as I turned to Lissa. "Come and talk to me when you're not busy."

"Sure thing," she replied as she walked away pulling Christian behind her.

I hurried to my room and just as I shut the door I burst into sobs. As I slid down my door I was pulled into Lissa's head.

"_Dimitri what happened? Why do you look so upset?" she asked him. They were standing a few feet away from the church._

"_Rose was here, I asked her to go but she wouldn't leave and we got into an argument." He responded dryly._

"_What!" She all but yelled, "How could she do that? I told her to leave you alone, but no she just had to come and bother you."_

"_Princess, calm down. I'm fine now, just a little shaken up," He replied looking a little weary._

"_I told you, it's Lissa. And just a little? Dimitri you look like you just killed your mother! What on earth did she say to upset you this much?" She requested distinctively._

"_Well, she came in telling me how much she loves me and how she wouldn't give up on me. Then she told me I should forgive myself and that she forgives me and if I loved her then I wouldn't push her away," he answered, playing with his hands, nervous._

"_She was right, you should forgive yourself but what did you tell her?" she wondered._

"_Well, that's easy. I told her I'd given up on her and that my love for her has faded." He replied hastily with a wince. His eyes clouded with emotion but he quickly replaced it with his hard guardian mask._

"_That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Christian exclaimed, "After all, Rose is the one who saved you."_

"_No, Lissa saved me." Dimitri retorted while pointing at Lissa, "She's the one I owe my life."_

"_Actually, it wasn't me who saved you. It was Rose who went through the trouble of getting all the information. I just helped, but back to the situation at hand. Rose deserved everything you said. How can she force you to love her? That's just childish. It's obvious you no longer want anything to do with her so why does she keep pushing it? Does she not know that this is going to damage your reputation further? It's bad enough they still haven't given you your Guardian title back yet and she just keeps pushing. She won't rest until they have you back in that cell," she ranted. Christian and Dimitri looked at her like she had two heads._

_Lissa turned to Christian._

"_Come on, I have someone I need to go see," she stated flatly, then she politely added, "If you'll excuse us Guardian Belikov."_

_He nodded as she turned around and dragged Christian away by the arm._

Back in my head I could tell that Lissa was on her way to see me. I could feel the darkness surrounding her so I slowly pulled it into me hoping that the anger she felt would dissipate. Minutes later as she banged on my door I realized I had no such luck; my day went from bad to worse.

When I opened the door she pushed me back and barged in with Christian in tow. He shut the door behind him as Lissa stared me down.

"I can explain-" I began but she cut me off.

"Listen here Rose, and listen well. I want you to leave Dimitri alone. He's been through enough as it is," she exclaimed.

"Don't you think I know that Lissa!" I yelled back.

"Seems to me like you don't with the way you're going around forcing your feelings on others. I wouldn't be surprised if he turned Strigoi to get away from you!" She shot back.

My body froze. Is that what she really thought, I wondered. Looking into the bond I could see she really believed her words. Hurt spread across my features before I fixed my stare.

"If that's how you felt then why did you save him? Why didn't you let him kill me?" I replied.

"Because he was a good man he deserved to be brought back to his dhampir state, besides I thought if I saved him I'd have you with me once and for all," she stated casually while crossing her arms.

"Basically you did it for you," I retorted.

"Exactly, you're supposed to keep the Strigoi from me. I can't have you worried about someone else when I'm supposed to be your main priority. I figured if I helped you then you'd finally come back to me but no. You turn into stalker ex-girlfriend when you have a perfectly good man waiting for you. What about Adrian? Have you even considered his feelings? He loves you, and you ignore him for Dimitri, who obviously doesn't. Why can't you take the hint? Why must you be a selfish slut? Besides, you're too young to know what love is anyway. Come on Rose, you've never even had a boyfriend. All you do is fool around. You didn't even say anything to me about Dimitri until he was turned Strigoi. So now that you've got Adrian and saved Dimitri you've got to have both? Well get a clue, Dimitri doesn't want you and Adrian is getting tired of you fawning over Dimitri. You're gonna lose both of them and you certainly deserve it! So stop being a selfish bitch and get over yourself. The world doesn't revolve around you Rose!" She returned, practically yelling the last two sentences at me.

My face fell completely and tears clouded my eyes. _Come on Rose,_ I said to myself._ Be strong, at least until she leaves the room. _I put on my brave face and mustered up all the courage I could.

"Well Princess, if that's how you feel then I'd like to take back my request to be your personal Guardian. If I could I would also ask you to take away the bond, but since that's not possible I would like it if you left my room… NOW," I said calmly as I opened the door and pushed her out of it. Christian soon followed and I slammed my door behind them.

I slid down my door and burst into tears. How could she say that about me? Ever since I met her in kindergarten all I have done is protect her. The first time in my life I want to do something for myself she accuses me of being selfish and on top of that she calls me a slut? I mean, I know I fool around but I've only slept with one person in my entire life. That sure as hell doesn't make me a slut.

And if that didn't hurt me enough, she meant every single word she said. I could feel it through the bond. She really did feel that I was a selfish whore. I wonder what I could have done to make her feel that way…

As my tears dried, I decided to get up. I was tired so I made my way to my bed and laid down. Just as I closed my eyes I was pulled into Lissa's head and she was arguing with Christian about…

**A/N: Thank you all for reading my story. I know it's been done before but trust me; I'm going in a new direction with this one. There will be plenty of surprises along the way. And I will be keeping the pairing secret until the first surprise is revealed. Hopefully I'll have a few faithful readers join me on Rose's journey to the top of the world. Until then, I'd love it if you left me a review. :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I, Chelsea Castile, do not own any of the characters in this story. Richelle Mead does, however, I do own the plot.**

**Special Shout-out to Ozera's Buffy! Who predicted what would happen correctly! And to my BETA Tatiana Belikova. Please check out her stories and our collaboration "I'm Only Me When I'm With You"**

* * *

**Recap:**

As my tears dried, I decided to get up. I was tired so I made my way to my bed and laid down. Just as I closed my eyes I was pulled into Lissa's head and she was arguing with Christian about…

* * *

_Me? Why would they be arguing about me? _I thought as I tuned in to their conversation. They were in her room and Lissa was pacing back and forth shaking her head while Christian was standing next to the door with an angry expression across his face.

"_How can you stick up for her? All she thinks about is herself!" Lissa yelled at him._

"_No Lissa, all you think about is yourself. Can't you see that Rose has given up everything for you and you still accuse her of being selfish?" He argued._

"_Why do you even care? I thought you hated Rose," she inquired._

"_I never hated Rose, we were just too much alike to get along. Besides, she saved my life in Spokane and despite what you may think I do care about her. And she saved his life, why can't you just let her have this?" He asked. _

"_Well if you're gonna stick up for her then why don't you just leave? She obviously doesn't understand what Dimitri is going through," she spat out ignoring his question, slightly miffed at the fact that he cared for me._

"_And how would you know?" He retorted._

"_Because I'm the one who really saved him Christian, that's how I know," she responded gingerly._

"_Yeah, you're the one hunted him down in Russia only to be used as his blood whore. You're the one who had thought she killed him on the bridge. You're the one who got death threats when she returned. I forgot all about that!" He replied snidely._

I couldn't believe she'd told him that. I'd told her in confidence because I thought she was my best friend and I trusted her. Key word, trusted. Now I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her, and I must admit, that is pretty far.

"_Christian, that has nothing to do with the subject at hand." She returned deadpan._

"_But it does doesn't it? It leads to how SHE saved him, not you. She was the one who got the information from Tarasov. She was the one who planned the prison break out. She was the one who knew about Robert Duro, not you. You didn't even know there were other spirit users besides yourself and Adrian. All you did was shove a spirit charmed stake through a Strigoi's heart because you thought that if you saved him then Rose would come running back to you like a lost dog. Well, guess what Princess! She didn't. And with the both of you constantly pushing her away she's breaking and I'm going to be the one who has to pick up the pieces," he remarked._

"_Why would you be the one picking up the pieces? Shouldn't that be Adrian's job? I mean he is her boyfriend. Or are you taking his place, like he took Dimitri's? It's a constant line of men. First she had Jesse. Then she replaced him with Mason, and when he died she used Dimitri. And when Dimitri was turned she moved on to Adrian. Funny how I stuck up for her but everyone was right. Rose is nothing but a blood whore. I should have known when she let me feed off of her for two years," she shot back._

My mind went numb. If I thought her calling me a selfish slut hurt, then I was wrong. Her calling me a blood whore did much worse and to top it off there was a part of me that did like being bitten. I mentally shook the guilt away and continued to listen. Christian was now pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back as Lissa sat timidly on a chair. He obviously didn't know how to respond to Lissa without pissing her off.

"_Liss," he said sadly. "I just don't understand why you would say something like that about Rose, she's like a sister to you."_

"_That bitch is no family of mine. If she was, then she wouldn't have abandoned me to go run off and kill some guy she claimed to have loved. She wouldn't have risked me getting killed to save that guy. She's too young to know what love is. You'd think she'd want to keep me safe with the bond," she replied dryly._

"_Well that 'bitch' has been keeping you safe. You're the one who fought with her to bring Dimitri back because you didn't want her to leave you again. And like you said, you have the bond. Don't you realize you're already number one in Rose's life? Why can't you just let her be happy? Belikov was the one thing in her life that made her happy besides you. What, were you afraid of a little competition? You're her sister, and you'll always be her sister in her eyes! God Lissa, I don't even wanna be in the same room with you anymore!" He shouted throwing his hands in the air. When he composed himself he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him._

Slowly, I came back to myself still pondering why Christian would even stand up for me. I mean I haven't been that good of a friend to him, but I guess in a way I was his first friend after Lissa. We'd grown closer since Spokane, but I didn't think he'd care enough about me to go against Lissa.

Realizing I was too confused to go to sleep I got out of bed and decided to take a shower. It was nice and refreshing compared to everything else I'd been through today. Just as I was getting out there was a knock on my door, so I wrapped a towel around my body as I opened the door.

"Adrian, what are you doing here?" I asked before realizing it was actually Christian. I immediately blushed noticing that my only attire was a towel.

"Sorry, am I interrupting your fun time? I can always come back." Christian replied while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed and invited him in.

"Sorry Sparky, that's not until later," I joked as I gathered some clothes to put on.

"So…" he said.

"So," I mimicked.

"Sorry about Lissa, you didn't deserve the way she treated you," he said softly.

"Yeah, don't worry about it…What I'm more interested in is why you stood up for me," I wondered.

"Oh, you saw that huh?" he questioned.

"It's kind of hard not to when I'm pulled into her head," I said sarcastically.

"Well, what she said to you wasn't right. I couldn't just let her ignore your feelings like that," he replied.

"It's not about me, it's about her. Her feelings are the only ones that matter. You should know, she's your girlfriend," I shot back hastily.

"That's what I admire about you the most Rose, you put others feeling above yours even when it hurts. I wish I could be like you sometimes," he returned.

"Well good luck. You try having the love of your life reject you after you've saved him while kissing your best friend's ass, then try having said best friend and bond mate verbally bash you to your face and behind your back. Oh, and don't forget to try dating a spoiled rich brat who practically blackmailed you to be with him knowing you don't feel the same way while feeling obligated to attempt to love him even though you know it'll never happen," I sneered.

Christian flinched. I hadn't meant to be so harsh but it seems all the darkness I'd been dealing with was putting a damper on my already bad mood. Noticing my understanding, Christian put his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, how about we cheer up. Let's go to the club, I'm sure we could drink our sorrows away there," he said with a chipper tone.

I looked at him and back to my bed. Well I know I can't sleep, so what the hell. I nodded to him and went to my closet to put together the sexiest outfit possible. I found an old mini dress from before we ran away. It was a little black dress that was short, strapless, and hugged my curves in all the right places. I found a nice pair of black heels to go with it, a few accessories, and then did my makeup. (**link in the A/N**)

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, I realized Christian had left and returned. He'd thrown on a pair of skinnies and a band tee. Even though the 'emo' look was overrated, I'd say it fit him nicely.

"How do I look?" I asked as he turned around and stared at me wide-eyed.

"You look great," he replied shyly and I giggled.

"Alright Pyro, enough staring, lead me to the alcohol!" I said wrapping my arm around his and dragging him out of my room. We made it to the club after what felt like hours of walking and headed straight to the door. I smiled my man-eater smile at the bouncer and he let us in right away.

"Wow, I'll have to hit the club with you more often," Christian joked as we headed to the bar.

I called for the bartender and asked him for two shots of the strongest stuff he had. He looked at me for a moment, and then asked for my I.D.

"Sorry babe," I told him. "But that's confidential," I said pulling his face closer to me then nibbling on his earlobe.

He immediately got me the drinks and winked at me before moving on to his next customer.

"Do you nibble every guys' ear that you meet or just the ones you want something from?" came a familiar voice from behind.

As I turned around I saw Ambrose, in all of his sexiness. I admired his body for a moment. He had on some dark jeans with a black tight fitting muscle shirt and boy did he look good!

"I don't know, are you offering?" I flirted.

"Maybe," he said whispering in my ear.

"Well, I don't know about you. But I feel like dancing," I said pulling him to the dance floor as Nicki Minaj's 'Pound The Alarm' came on.

As we got into the music, I looked towards the bar and noticed Christian sitting alone. A spark of sadness filled me; I'd come here with him to help cheer him up and I'd abandoned him for the first guy I see. I was about to go back to the bar when Ambrose grabbed my hips and started grinding with me to the music, causing me to forget my earlier troubles.

We danced to a few more songs before I made my way back to the bar and asked for two more shots. I noticed Chris on the dance floor with some girl and I grinned, glad he was finally letting loose. I downed the two shots and returned to the dance floor searching for Ambrose when a warm hand grabbed my arm. I spun around ready to attack until my attacker pulled me into a bear hug. Recognizing Eddie, I slowly relaxed.

"Well, well, well. What do we owe this lovely pleasure, Hathaway?" He droned out, obviously tipsy. I made a note to tell the bartender to put a hold on his drinks.

"Nothing much… Just my bastard ex and backstabbing best friend being asshats," I said cheerily. He apparently hadn't heard about my utter humiliation in the church.

"Oh," he said wrapping his arms around me.

"Eddie, if you wanted to dance with a girl all you had to do was ask." I said happily and started moving hips to the beat. I think Jason Derulo's 'Don't Wanna Go Home' was playing.

We moved that way for a few more songs until Ambrose came and cut in. Eddie was a little reluctant, but I explained to him I knew Ambrose. Men, I thought. Leave it to Eddie to go all big brother at the club while intoxicated. As we made our way towards the middle of the dance floor a different set of hand grabbed my waist.

This time when I spun around I was face to face with Jesse Zeklos. How dare he even think attempt to touch me, I thought to myself as I kneed him in the nuts and proceeded to turn around and continue my dance with Ambrose.

I continued this pattern of dancing and drinking while switching dance partners all through the night. By the time I was ready to leave I'd danced with Ambrose, Eddie, Christian, and even an old classmate named Shane at least twice while successfully avoiding Jesse.

As I stumbled to the bar, the bartender announced last call and I took it upon myself to order two double shots of Russian vodka. I don't know what possessed me to do that before I was leaving but I did, and boy was that a bad idea. As I made my way through the crowd of bodies I began dancing by myself to Rihanna's 'Where Have You Been', when I almost fell a pair of strong arms caught me.

"Come on, we gotta get you out of here," he said dragging me out of the club.

When we got to his room, I cried. For everything I'd been through today and he just sat with me while I let it out all over his shirt. Suddenly I looked up into the deep abyss that was his gaze and a wave of lust fell over me. I kissed him passionately and from there both our clothes disappeared. Next thing I know I was tangled in his body and sheets as I let the darkness take over.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading my story and don't forget to review. Who do you think she left the club with? Dimtri? Adrian? Christian? Ambrose? Eddie? Jesse? or even Shane? (He really didn't deserve that ass kicking she gave him in VA, but then again the comeback had to start somewhere!) By the way, I'm not trying to make Rose out to be a slut. She's just heartbroken, depressed, and drunk. Also, I want there to be a mystery about the guy she leaves with. I'd like to thank all those who left me a review: **Ozera's Buffy, missvalover94, DoveLightMist, Terri Hathaway Belikov, and Guest reviewer (Come out, come out, wherever you are. I don't bite, okay maybe I do. I am Strigoi after all, lol.)

**DoveLightMist: ****Lissa is overreacting and don't worry, her emotions will be played with plenty. Although she has a valid reason for the way she's acting. All will be revealed in time. Just remember, any loose ends I don't handle in these beginning chapters will be covered in later chapters.**


	4. Chapter 3 (Dedicated to LoverGurl10621)

**Disclaimer: I, Chelsea Castile, do not own any of the characters in this story. Richelle Mead does, however, I do own the plot.**

**This is for you LoverGurl10621!**

* * *

**Recap:**

When we got to his room, I cried. For everything I'd been through today and he just sat with me while I let it out all over his shirt. Suddenly I looked up into the deep abyss that was his gaze and a wave of lust fell over me. I kissed him passionately and from there both our clothes disappeared. Next thing I know I was tangled in his body and sheets as I let the darkness take over.

* * *

I yawn as I ran my hand through his hair and stretched my arm around the man's body next to me. Wait, why is there a body next to me? I look over at the naked man before me. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Memories from last night crashed over me. How we made love until morning, how he murmured my name over and over like a prayer, how he told me he loved me every time we climaxed. Not him, anyone but him. I mean, I guess you could say I did love him…

No, I can feel it in my heart. I do love him and that is why this must never happen again. He'd regret this, I know he would. So I'd be doing him a favor if I pretended this never happened. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I should also avoid everyone else from the club last night. I'm pretty sure they all know who I left with.

I got out of bed and quickly, gathered my clothes, and dressed myself. Before I left I kissed him on the cheek, ran my hand through his hair one last time, and muttered I love you. As I snuck out the room I quickly bolted to mine, almost getting caught by Adrian. Shit! Adrian, in all my drama I forgot about Adrian. I just cheated on him. I'm such a horrible girlfriend. _How could I do this to him? _I thought as I paced the length of my room.

Growing frustrated I decided to take a shower and change into some suitable clothes. I must have dosed off because suddenly I hear a pounding on my door. I jumped up to answer it and Dimitri was staring me straight in the face.

"Look, I don't know what happened with you and Lissa but you need to apologize," he stated angrily.

I looked at him dumbfounded. Did he really just come to my room to tell me what I should do? Well, he must not know Rosemarie Hathaway.

"Mr. Belikov, while I do appreciate the wakeup call, what goes on between me and Princess Dragomir is none of your concern. With that I bid you farewell," I said, making sure my voice sound venomous as I said their names before I tried to slam the door in his face.

Like I said tried, because he swiftly stuck his foot out stopping the door and barged in my room shutting it behind him.

"Excuse me, but I'd like it if you'd get the hell out of my room!" I yelled at him.

"Listen Rose, I'm only going to say this once. Please refrain from upsetting Lissa; she doesn't need to deal with your childish antics. All she needs you to do for her is take the darkness and you don't seem to be doing your job well," he huffed.

I don't know what look I had on my face but whatever it was made him back away slowly. I smiled at him then reached into the bond and took every ounce of darkness Lissa was holding on to, even the part she was hiding. He wanted me to do my job; well he could deal with the consequences.

"Is this better for you?" I asked menacingly. "Expendable dhampir Rosemarie Hathaway takes away all of Princess Dragomir's spirit darkness so she doesn't go crazy and kills herself in the process leaving the Princess unprotected and insane. What a shame such a great addition to the Moroi world is brought down by a selfish blood whore." I was yelling by now.

"Rose, calm down. This isn't you," he pleaded with me.

"Oh, but it is. You wanted me to do my job and this is my job, turning into a crazy psychopathic blood whore who cares about no one but herself," I screamed at him while moving closer.

"Rose," he warned now backed into my door.

"Fuck you Dimitri, and that bitch!" I said cackling.

"You will not speak of Lissa that way!" He boomed out, pushing me to the floor.

I kicked his legs from underneath him and he fell. I quickly straddled him and continued to repeatedly punch him in the face.

"Tell Lissa her personal blood whore quits and that the next time she wants to talk about me behind my back make sure she doesn't pull me into her head!" I screamed still punching him in the face.

I vaguely remember someone wrapping their arms around me and pulling me off of him or the girl's screams for help. When I woke up I was in a holding cell that vaguely reminded me of Dimitri's. How ironic. I laughed to myself, startling the guards.

"So when am I getting let go?" I shouted to the guards but they remained silent.

Damn it. They were gonna play the silent roll. I stood up and began pacing my cell. Instantly I realized what was going on. I was still in my darkness filled haze and I needed to get out some before it consumed me. I sat on the ground Indian style and tried to meditate. It was hard at first but I finally got the hang of it, I was slowly pushing the darkness away.

A few hours later some guards came and released me. I was happy until I saw that it was none other than Princess Dragomir who bailed me out and Christian was behind her. I groaned, then sucked it up and plastered the biggest smile on my face possible.

"Why thank you, but no thank you Princess. I'm sorry for the inconvenience I've caused you. I'll be going to my room now." I replied bluntly, pushing past her and Christian without looking back.

Halfway to my room I realized I hadn't eaten yet and decided to go to the café. I went in and order 4 chocolate donuts and a cup of hot cocoa then paid for my order. As I waited I saw Mia come in so I waved her over.

"Mia!" I said with the first genuine smile I'd had all day.

"Rose," she screeched back surprised. "I heard they had you locked up for attacking Dimitri…"

"Yeah, but Princess Bitch bailed me out. I told her thanks but no thanks and left before she could speak." I responded. Mia's face fell a little.

"Oh, what happened?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it, but let's just say the Jesse and Ralf rumors resurfaced in her mind." I answered and she grimaced, remembering those days were sad for her; she'd truly changed the type of person she was.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly.

"No it's alright, I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." I replied as the cashier called me to get my order.

As I grabbed my stuff, I said goodbye and went back to me room where I pretty much spent most of my time. For the next two weeks, if I wasn't working or training I was in my room eating and sleeping. One good thing that happened was I finally got out of that filing office. But that also meant I was a Court Guardian and I had to see Lissa and everyone else I was avoiding more often.

Luckily, I asked the Queen for a night (daytime) shift and she obliged. Surprisingly our relationship was growing and she didn't seem to hate me as much. We'd actually grown accustomed to friendly banter. I'd also gotten real good at keeping out of Lissa's head at least until today.

"_Christian?" she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. She was sitting on her bed and he was sitting in the chair across from her staring at the floor._

"_Yeah, Lissa?" He answered looking up._

"_Do you think she'll ever forgive me?" she asked staring him in the eyes._

"_I honestly don't know…" He replied as he looked back down. He's been depressed ever since the argument, Lissa thought._

"_Well how come she won't talk to you?" She wondered as Christian's eyes glossed over._

"_Uhm, I don't know. Maybe she really does hate me…" he responded, pain evident in his voice._

_She stood up and walked over to comfort him. She didn't know what was depressing him but whatever it was had put a dent in their already rekindling relationship. Christian slowly began to relax and wrapped his arms around her waist squeezing her tight._

"_Don't worry," she said in a wishful tone. "She'll forgive you for whatever you did and hopefully me too."_

_He looked up at Lissa and put a hand on her chin._

"_Lissa, she'll always forgive you. You're her sister, you just said some hateful things while under the influence of darkness. I'm sure if you explained to her what happened everything will work out." He told her._

I sighed, I now knew that most of what Lissa had said was brought on by darkness but I also knew that she meant some of it too. Right now I just couldn't forgive. At the time when I needed a friend she'd abandoned me and turned on me. I wasn't sure if we'd ever make it back from this.

"_Maybe I should go talk to her," Lissa said suddenly._

"_You should, I'll stay and wait for you here." He agreed._

I snapped out of her head. No, I wasn't ready to see her. I quickly got dressed and went to visit the Queen. Maybe she'd have some insight on what I should do.

As I walked into the throne room Tatiana greeted me with a hug.

"Tia!" I screeched.

"Rose," she returned politely.

"How have you been?" She asked.

"Fine, still avoiding Adrian though…" I responded with a sigh.

"You're going to have to face him sooner or later. Besides, you're not even sure what happened. Maybe you both just got extremely hot and fell asleep naked." She answered.

I looked at her like she was insane. She couldn't be serious; I mean she was the Queen for God sakes. She was also Adrian's great aunt, but that's another story. No one even knew that we were actually friends now and when they found out it would be hilarious. Who would have thought that I, Rose Hathaway, would befriend my number one arch enemy, Queen Tatiana, over a drunken mistake? She even promised to keep it from Adrian and she thought best that I didn't tell him. She didn't want to see him hurt, neither did I, but I still felt really guilty like I should tell him before he found out from someone else.

"Are you serious, Tatiana?" I said sternly. "This isn't a joke. You and I both know it happened. Hell I remember it, one of the best nights of my life though it shouldn't be. I just wish it didn't happen that way."

"Are you ever going to tell me who it was?"

"If need be, you will know."

"Fine, I'll drop it as long as you keep your word."

"I always keep my word."

She studied me, as if to make sure I was telling the truth. I didn't really see the need. She knew I would tell her if push came to shove. I just hoped that it wouldn't.

"So, as much as I enjoy your company, why is it that you're here? We weren't scheduled to meet for another half hour and you're always late."

"Lissa," I simply stated and she got the hint.

"Well, you said you took a lot of darkness from her. Maybe she wants to apologize."

"I did and she does want to, but I'm not ready to forgive her. What she said really hurt and after that night I feel as though I really am a slut."

"Rose, you were heartbroken, hurt by your best friend, and drunk. You weren't exactly in your right mind. Besides, you and him would have probably come together sooner than you thought. It seems like you've harbored feeling for him for quite some time but you weren't aware of them."

I thought over it for a moment and she was right. I had been harboring feelings for him, but I never acted on them. Truth was I never had the time to because I was so obsessed over finding my first love. Maybe it was only right that Dimitri had broken my heart. Maybe he would have been the one to pick up the pieces and put me back together again, but the process was reversed over a drunken mistake.

"You're right Tia; I have loved him for a while. But I can't stand to hurt Adrian like this."

"How about you stop avoiding him and just talk to him? I'm sure you can figure out a way to handle things after that. Just don't lead him on because you waited too long to make your decision. Figure out who you want and tell him. I have a feeling you'll be with the one you love soon enough."

"Fine, we'll do this your way." I said smiling as my stomach growled. "Since I'm here maybe we should order lunch early…"

"Actually, it's just about lunch time anyway. We did have quite the talk. Here take a look at the menu, we're having Chinese today," she said handing me the menu.

I looked it over and ordered my lunch. We chatted until our food arrived then ate. When we were done I gave her a hug and went to my post to think things over. I'll definitely talk to Adrian, he probably already thinks something is up with me blocking his dreams and avoiding him. _Don't lead him on, _Tatiana's voice said in my head_, figure out who you want_. I had to make a decision soon.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading my story. Rose and Tatiana, any comments? For all of you who are still wondering who he is, don't worry, all will be revealed soon enough. For those of you that know who he is already keep quiet. Special thanks to those who reviewed:** DoveLightMist, xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx, Dimka's chick, Guest, IsabellaRoza, RoseRozaHathaway, Emmalovesdimitri, Ozera's Buffy, ozera admirer, Lily Ivashkov, and bboop12.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns anything related to the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series in this story, however, I own the plot.**

**Everybody check the poll on my page and vote for Rose's mystery guy! (:**

**Recap:**

I looked it over and ordered my lunch. We chatted until our food arrived then ate. When we were done I gave her a hug and went to my post to think things over. I'll definitely talk to Adrian, he probably already thinks something is up with me blocking his dreams and avoiding him. _Don't lead him on, _Tatiana's voice said in my head_, figure out who you want_. I had to make a decision soon.

I'd finally taken Tatiana's advice and talked to Adrian after my shift. Even though he was ecstatic to see me, things couldn't have been more awkward over the past few weeks. I was always paranoid around him and hadn't been feeling very well lately. I'd also been wondering if I'd made the right decision to stay with Adrian. Tatiana told me she thought I was choosing wrong but she'd accept my decision, I thought she was crazy because if I'd chosen _him_ then I would have broken Adrian's heart.

Avoiding Lissa and Dimitri had gotten much easier and she eventually gave up, though sadly I almost ran into the guys but I always managed to get away just in time. Things seemed to be looking up as I walked around the perimeter of my post. There had been a few Strigoi sightings in nearby towns so we were on permanent watch, though the Strigoi never dared to attack Court because it was heavily protected. Since my shift was almost over I texted Adrian.

_Where are you? –Rose_

_Just leaving my aunt why? –Adrian_

_I'm about to get off work soon, wanna meet for dinner? –Rose_

_Sure, Little Dhampir, we can go to a restaurant out of Court. –Adrian_

_No, how about we stay in Court. I don't feel right leaving the wards. –Rose_

_Whatever you want Rose… Meet you at your apartment. –Adrian_

Damn it, Adrian was upset. But I wouldn't let that change my mind. I just had a feeling that leaving the wards today would be a bad idea. When my shift was over I jogged home and went straight to the bathroom. I guess I must have been drinking too much water lately because my bladder had increased insignificantly.

I quickly showered, got dressed, and did my makeup for my date with Adrian. (**Outfit on profile**) While waiting for him to pick me up, I cleaned my room up a little. As I was finishing up there was a knock on the door, and then stepped in.

"If you were gonna come in, why knock?" I questioned. He shrugged.

"Don't know. You look good, little dhampir." He replied.

I blushed and walked to the door motioning him to follow me. Once we got outside I grabbed his hand and we walked to the restaurant hand in hand. There were a few looks being thrown our way and it was obvious there was gossip milling all over. I wondered what they were talking about as Adrian gave the waiter his name and he led us to a quiet booth in the back.

As we sat down some guys looked over at us and laughed. I really didn't see anything funny and neither did Adrian who looked seriously annoyed by everyone behavior. I could tell he wanted to get up, so I put a hand on his shoulder and asked the waiter to bring him a glass of wine. Of course Adrian decided he wanted the whole bottle. We looked over our menus and I ordered the Chicken Parmesan while Adrian ordered a Steak medium rare. I grimaced at the thought but quickly let it go.

"So are you ever going to tell me why you didn't want to leave Court?" He asked. I stared at him for a moment then cleared my throat.

"I just had a bad feeling, Adrian."

"Is that really the reason? Or is it my Aunt? I saw you leaving her office a few times over the past few weeks. Is that why you were avoiding me? Has she been threatening you? I swear, if I-"I cut him off.

"Calm down, Spirit Boy, there's nothing to worry about. She just has me under close supervision and I have to check in with her regularly. I may have been given a job as Court Guardian, but they didn't forget about how I ended up in the filing room."

"Oh yeah," he said with a grimace. He didn't like being reminded of when I left to break Victor out of Tarasov in hopes of saving Dimitri. The fact that Dimitri was actually alive pained him even more.

"Don't worry about him, Adrian. I'm with you now," I said feeling a small pang of regret in my stomach. I couldn't help but think about _him_ and that night. His hands caressing every inch of my body, how hot his touch felt against my skin, the way he left my body craving for more. No, no, no, NO! Rose snap out of it! I can't be thinking like this, it would never work out. I mentally shook myself and returned to my date with Adrian.

"What were you just thinking about?" Adrian wondered.

"Nothing, why?"

"It's just your aura, you… nevermind. Foods here."

Just as he said that, the waiter placed our food on the table in front of us. Me and Adrian sat in silence eating the rest of the time. When it was time to go, we gathered our things and left the restaurant hand in hand. While walking home a couple of guys appeared before us. They were moroi, non-royal, and they looked awfully familiar.

"What, non-royals don't do it for you?" One of the guys asked.

"What?" I questioned.

"Only royals and other dhampirs, huh?" The other guy said.

I stared at them in confusion. What are they talking about? Royals and dhampirs? Am I missing something here? Before I could respond Adrian cut in.

"Excuse me, but what right do you have to speak to her like that?" He asked. The guys looked at each other and laugh. It sounded familiar but I still couldn't figure out where I had seen them before.

"Hey," The first guy said throwing his hands up in defense. "We were just wondering…"

That's when I realized where I knew them from. They were at the club that night, they'd tried to dance with me but I politely declined. They probably saw me leave with _him_. This was bad; I had to get myself and Adrian out of here now. I didn't want him to find out like this and I definitely didn't want to hurt him. Tatiana had warned me, but I didn't listen.

"Adrian, forget them. Let's just go," I said pulling his arm and walking forward.

It would have worked if Adrian wasn't so pissed. He stood there and crossed his arms.

"What's going on Rose? You've been acting funny the past few weeks and now these guys are talking about Royals and Dhampirs doing it for you. I want an explanation." He demanded.

I stood there with my head down. I would tell Adrian the truth, but I wouldn't do it here. Not in front of these guys, where it could embarrass the both of us. Adrian deserved better than that, better than me. Someone who's only with him because she's too afraid to tell the person she's in love with how she feels. I never thought Tatiana would be right, but here I am regretting the decision I'd made to stay with Adrian because I'd only hurt him more.

"Well? I'm waiting," Adrian said tapping his foot impatiently.

I looked from him to the guys and back to him.

"Adrian, we need to talk… privately." I said turning around and heading towards his room. Adrian hesitated but quickly complied when the guys started laughing and walked away.

As soon as we got to Adrian's room I went to his bar and poured him a cup of whiskey. He would definitely need it for what I was about to tell him and I wasn't going to stand in his way. When I handed him the cup, he regarded me skeptically.

"Just take the cup, Adrian. Trust me, you're gonna need it." I told him as he took the cup shrugging.

"So what is it that I need to drink for?" He questioned while taking a seat.

"Well," I began pacing back and forth in front of his couch. "You see, the reason I've been acting weird lately is because of the day before I got arrested for beating up Dimitri."

"Yeah, I remember. Why did you kick his ass anyway? Not that I don't think he needs it…" He said.

"We got in a fight the day before about our love and when Lissa found out we got in an argument too, so he was there to make me apologize to her." I explained.

Adrian's grip on the glass tightened and seemed to be staring through me. His eyes were blank and all emotion in his face was gone.

"That's what you needed to tell me?" Adrian said after downing the drink in one gulp.

"No, Adrian, it's much worse. And I promise you I didn't mean too, I was drunk and I didn't know I'd fall for him!" I rambled.

This time when he looked at me, I saw confusion clear across his face. That's when I realized I didn't tell him I slept with someone else. That I cheated on him, after professing my love to my ex-mentor, and arguing with my best friend. There was no way he would be able to handle this. I went to the bar and brought him back the entire bottle.

"Adrian," I said staring at the ground and fiddling my hands. "That night at the bar… I got really drunk and went home with someone else. Adrian, I-I-I slept with someone that night.I-I'm s-s-so sor-sorry."

I burst into tears and dropped to my knees in front of him. I really hoped he would forgive me, but my hope was too soon. The look of pure hatred and disgust on his face was too much.

"YOU CHEATED ON ME ROSE? WAS I NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU? YOU KNOW WHAT?! JUST GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM, NOW!" He screamed at me.

I nodded and quickly got up and ran to my room crying. After calming down I decided there was only one thing I could do. I pulled out my cell and made a call.

"Hello…"

**A/N: Thanks for reading the latest chapter. Who do you think Rose called? What do you think she's going to do now? Did Rose deserve the treatment she got from Adrian? Also, please answer the poll on my page. Who do you think the guy is? He's possibly subject to change, maybe… I'd like to thank all those who left me a review:**


End file.
